A newly ordained minister accepts a summer job with a dynamic TV evangelist only to find deep conflicts between the latter's conventional activities servicing his community's spiritual needs and his power wielded as a TV celebrity.
Acting
Ned Beatty's sweaty charisma makes you believe the grift
Direction
Markowitz walks the satire-drama tightrope surprisingly steady

Director
Robert Markowitz
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Released during peak PTL Club/Jim Bakker era; audiences recognized the sweat-drenched theatrics immediately. Beatty reportedly studied actual televangelists' broadcast patterns.
John Ritter took this role specifically to break sitcom typecasting before 'Problem Child.' The TV movie format let him experiment without box office risk.